Finally after 2 months of struggling, now i could get back to my gym routine... I went to gym almost everyday since last week. Nowadays my gym session will be mixed... I meant mix in the sense that i go to gym in the morning before i hit the office and sometime i go to the gym after office for cardio class like Step, RPM.

I'm so glad that i could get back to my gym time table... and i will get rid of my excess fat... Muscle Muscle here i come...

Okie better hit the bed now. Gotta wake up early for gym in the morning. Ciao~

i had lost count the number of double standard we encounter in our country. so much so that first, i composed a double standard song (to tune of children's 'are you sleeping&#8217, then i created a 'double standard' category here… and finally i have to create a double standard group in facebook entitled 2malaysia.

you read and determine where's the double standard. i'm too tired and mad to write more. beside, i'm having a toothache now. started few days ago. guess i should go to the dentist soon. oh, gonna post this at my 2malysia facebook group too. hey, the membership is growing… less than a month since its formation, already 1611 members. if you are in facebook, don't forget to join eh. good place for you to rant about the double standard and hypocrisy of malaysia. if you are not in facebook… huh? are you living?

Patients in the study had electrodes implanted in their brainsDeep brain stimulation is a promising therapy for epilepsy, US researchers from Stanford University have said.In a clinical trial, 110 people had electrodes implanted in their brains and their seizures were monitored.

PARLIAMENTUPDATED 5.25PM Anwar Ibrahim must back up his claim that '1Malaysia' has links to 'One Israel' in the Dewan Rakyat next Tuesday.

PKR vice-president R Sivarasa told reporters in Parliament that deputy house speaker Ronald Kiandee slotted 11.30am next Tuesday for Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim explain to Dewan Rakyat next Tuesday on his allegation that the government's '1Malaysia' campaign was devised by the same firm behind the Israeli regime's 'One Israel'.

When I started this blog my intention is to avaid writing about politics, the operative word is "avoid," hence if you check on the previous posting maybe one or two of them are about politics.

What had happened several day ago in parliment, seem to be something worthy of mention.Anwar Ibrahim, as alleged by Dato' Zahrin had master minded the September 16 conspiracy and his allegation had made Anwar Ibrahim so hot under his butt, and he left the proceeding a bit later. He wa also absent from parliment the next day when Zahrin continued with his speech.

I wonder why didn't Anwar Ibrahim sit through the speech and be like a gentleman.

On one side of things over the last 2 years or so after the last general election, too much politicking had been the thing.

I would like to suggest to the parlimentarians, please shut the hell up, stop making accusations and counter-accusations, don't waste you bloody time in parliment. We the citizen are tired of your politicking.

Grow up!Move on, do the things you are suppose to do, help the citizens to grow. There's time for politics and there's time to do your job. Enough politics!

Anwar Ibrahim, just get your butt to court, we are just tired of your delaying tactics... and why the hell lobbying for support from the Australian and British politicians?

It is most embarrassing but one of the most common situations during a police raid is being caught in the midst of having sex.The girls covering their faces as policemen led them out from a hotel at Burma Road in Penang.

The girls covering their faces as policemen led them out from a hotel at Burma Road in Penang.The most recent occurrence took place at George Town, Penang, on Monday night, when two women, believed to be guest relations officers (GROS), found themselves in such an awkward situation when the police charged into the hotel rooms.

The women, a Chinese national and a Vietnamese, were half-naked and were believed to be in the midst of providing sex services to their customers when they were detained at a hotel at Burma Road.

The operation, carried out near midnight, saw the police nabbing 21 women in their twenties and thirties, four hotel caretakers – one of them wanted by the police – and 17 patrons.

The patrons were later released after having their statements recorded in the police station.

Condoms, cash and receipts were also confiscated from the scene, said State CID chief Senior Asst Comm (II) Wan Abdullah Tuanku Said.The women will be investigated for violation of their social visit pass, he added.

It is always important to ask the key question: who in society isbenefiting from economic growth? This question, unfortunately, is notmuch asked these days. Instead, the obsession is only with growth,writes Toh Kin Woon.

Recently, Malaysia's mainstream media carried prominently news aboutMalaysia's 40 richest businessmen or tycoons. A few among them countas among the richest in Asia, with wealth running in the billions ofUS dollars.

But I don't consider having a few billionaires as an indicator ofsuccessful economic development. On the contrary, I feel that there isa defect in our country's developmental record.

The nurturing of several billionaires is one indicator of a heavyconcentration of wealth and income in the hands of a few. Littlewonder the gap between the richest 5 per cent of households and thebottom 40 per cent is getting wider. Malaysia's Gini coefficient,which is a crude measure of income inequality, is among the highest inAsia.

Despite rising inequality, there seems little concern about it. Exceptfor a few, policy makers, politicians, especially from the BarisanNasional, and even the public at large give hardly any attention tosuch social injustice and its negative ramifications.

They may be concerned about the incidence of absolute poverty. Eventhe rich and powerful would be put off by the sight of poverty, suchas dilapidated housing, hunger, disease and sickness, and wouldsupport state programmes to eradicate poverty.

It is a different matter, however, when it comes to calls for aredistribution of income and wealth through state intervention. Therelatively well off, including even the middle class and state elites,are hardly enthusiastic about creating a more egalitarian society.They will not, for example, support high direct taxes to finance stateprovision of health care, an efficient and cheap public transportsystem, and welfare payments to the poor and aged. They want lowtaxes, a small public sector, and more reliance on private initiativesto provide social goods.

Many years ago, when I was studying for my MA in development economicsin a British university, I learnt that it is always important to askthe key question as to who in society is benefiting from growth. This,unfortunately, is not much asked these days. Instead, the obsession isonly with growth.

Until today, I am still troubled by this question. I want to see therealisation of a more egalitarian Malaysian society, in which allcitizens lead dignified lives. Hence, I would like the government toadopt measures that can close the gap between the rich and poor.

Rather than having a few billionaires, I would rather have a societywhere there the bulk of society are members of the middle class.Egalitarianism is a goal we should all strive for.

Considering the implications of the Attorney General's wide discretionary powers and why even the humblest citizenry ought to be more vigilant towards any abuse of those powers.

Recently, a few of my clients who needed criminal law advice asked me a similar question.

Question: "If there is no clear evidence, why are the police still pressing charges?" This question is conceptually incorrect as you may already know that the police has no authority to determine whether to press charges or otherwise. Telling them the police has no power to do so, does not really clear their doubts and I took the opportunity to explain to my clients that only the Attorney General (AG) can decide who, when and where to prosecute.My client responded, "In that case, isn't he the superman of Malaysia?"

Answer: "Well, that is quite subjective but if someone were to look into the context of the Federal Constitution, the answer is yes."

So who is this AG and why is his office so powerful?

The AG is an individual appointed by the government of the day to carry out legal affairs of the government.

His main responsibilities are:

(a) Chief legal adviser to the Government;

(b) Guardian of the rule of law; and

(c) Superintendence of the prosecuting departments.

Article 145 of the Federal Constitution provides amongst others:

- It shall be the duty of the Attorney General to advise the Yang di-Pertuan Agong or the Cabinet or any Minister upon such legal matters, and to perform such other duties of a legal character, as may from time to time be referred or assigned to him by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong or the Cabinet, and to discharge the functions conferred on him by or under this Constitution or any other written law.

- The Attorney General shall have power, exercisable at his discretion, to institute, conduct or discontinue any proceedings for an offence, other than proceedings before a Syariah court, a native court or a court-martial.

There is an existing argument that the AG should be made accountable to Parliament and his office be granted access to the members of parliament from the opposition which I do not wish to dwell into at this moment.

What I wish to elaborate is the extensive powers of the AG affecting the lay man on the street.

To have a better understanding of Article 145(3) of the Federal Constitution, I have dissected this section into 3 parts: institute, conduct and discontinue.

Power to Institute

The word "institute" in this context has been judicially examined in PP v Lim Shui Wang & Ors [1979] 1 MLJ 65 where Suffian Lord President observed that "the word institute" means "to set on foot, initiate, start," and in Public Prosecutor v Datuk Harun Bin Haji Idris [1976] MLJ 116, the judge refers it to the "commencement of proceedings and prosecutions."

For a lay person like you and me, it simply means that the AG has a discretionary power to decide whether to charge a person or otherwise. Conversely, the police do not have the power to determine whether to charge but were only limited to investigating duties.

In practice, it is then translated to this – after a complainant made a police report, his/her matter will be referred to an investigating officer (IO). An investigating paper (IP) will be opened and upon completing investigation, the IP will then be sent to the office of the AG. The Deputy Public Prosecutor who were delegated certain powers of the AG, upon examining the IP will decide whether to charge or otherwise.

To illustrate the discretionary power to institute proceedings, it is interesting to contrast the 2 high profile cases of Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Datuk Seri Dr. Chua Soi Lek. Notwithstanding that both of them have police report made against them for committing carnal intercourse against the order of nature, one is facing a charge in the High Court while the other is claiming the throne of MCA.

Both are investigated under a similar section under the Penal Code which states:

"Any person who has sexual connection with another person by the introduction of the penis into the anus or mouth of the other person is said to commit carnal intercourse against the order of nature."

But both of them obviously do not share similar fate.

Power to conduct

Power to conduct may not be as controversial as the former but remains important as it gives the AG's office the exclusive right to prosecute and conduct proceedings. The consequence of this ruling is to deprive the prosecuting officers of other government agencies to conduct prosecutions unless authorised in writing by the AG's office.

Power to discontinue

The most obvious manifestation of this aspect of the AG's powers would be the outright withdrawal of charges in cases pending before the courts. If you could recall, the most recent one was after the High Court acquitted a political analyst of abetting the murder of a Mongolian woman, prosecutors from the AG's office decided not to appeal against the verdict. This has attracted much criticisms from the society but as far as the law is concerned, the AG's office has not contravene any of the laws in Malaysia on the contrary has complete powers to not appeal against the decision of the High Court Judge.

Unease over the AG Chambers is a widely share sentiment among many Malaysians. The Rakyat yearns to see more reforms are carried out to curtail its wide discretionary powers. The powers although granted by the FC should not be exercised arbitrarily. Many have suggested that the AG should be made accountable to Parliament and to also consider in establishing a position similar to that in other Commonwealth countries where the power to review evidence and conduct the prosecution of offences is held by a director of public prosecution.

No matter what the reforms are, I believe that it is the tax-payers' funds that ultimately pay for all criminal prosecutions and hence we should take personal interest in getting to know more about the AG's powers and be vigilant towards the abuse, like how most of us are drawn in to the powers of superman, a man of steel who would only use his super powers to save the world, and nothing else. — www.loyarburok.com

In a January 2008 letter to the Armenian Reporter, Mr. Obama said he shared "with Armenian Americans - so many of whom are descended from genocide survivors - a principled commitment to commemorating and ending genocide. That starts with acknowledging the tragic instances of genocide in world history."

In 2006, Mr. Obama noted, "I criticized the secretary of State for the firing of U.S. Ambassador to Armenia, John Evans, after he properly used the term 'genocide' to describe Turkey's slaughter of thousands of Armenians starting in 1915. I shared with secretary Rice my firmly held conviction that the Armenian Genocide is not an allegation, a personal opinion, or a point of view, but rather a widely documented fact supported by an overwhelming body of historical evidence."

Asserted Mr. Obama, back then: "The facts are undeniable. An official policy that calls on diplomats to distort the historical facts is an untenable policy."

Mr. Obama also stated unequivocally that "as President I will recognize the Armenian Genocide."

His position on the matter was so strong, the Armenian National Committee of America had its own Obama File on Armenian Genocide Recognition which included a Youtube clip of the President on the campaign trail saying, "there was a genocide that did take place against the Armenian people. It is one of these situations where we have seen a constant denial on the part of the Turkish government." Once he became Prez : The Obama administration asked the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee to cancel a vote scheduled for today on a bill recognizing the Armenian genocide. The chairman of the committee, Rep. Howard Berman, D-Calif., is going forward with the bill "mark up" and vote regardless.

Just so you know P1, I had to go out this afternoon and get myself signed up with DIGI broadband just so I can get connection. That was good money wasted and now I'm contracted with DIGI for an entire year! I have to pay them RM88.00 every damn month and pay you RM99.00 for a connection that hardly works seeing as how I'm still contracted to you. Where is the justice in that?

I work from home and rely upon the internet for my livelihood. Just today, I was only able to get connected for an entire 10 seconds in total, I kid you not. The rest of the day was spent staring at the PC and praying to whatever gods there that could help me get connection again.

It's been 4 days since I made my report and so far no one has even bothered to call me and tell me that they'll be able to get my connection working again. Do you guys really not bother about your customers? Are we just lowly people whom are not important at all to you? Don't I pay my bills on time every month?

I'm going to wait and see how long it is going to take you guys to rectify my issues. It's not something I can do myself seeing as how my modem is an external one attached to the second floor of my house. So before I actually really lose my patience with you guys and actually go to your office and make a big issue out of this (trust me, I capable of doing that), I hope technician turns up or at least call me to get something done.

Until then, I shall just have to use DIGI just so I can continue earning an honest living with no thanks at all to you guys at P1 Wimax. The only BIG draw back with DIGI is that wifey and me can't surf at the same time … siggghhh … I guess some connection is better than none at all, right?

I would like to bring your attention to a recently famous get-rich-quick scheme plaguing Malaysian Facebook users with the premise of 'Login Facebook RM100 hari-hari'.

Victims of this scheme will be attracted by the using of the 'tagging' method and by invitations from fan pages/groups.

Facebook users are enticed by tag lines like – 'You can make money by just logging into Facebook everyday – As easy as that' or with a screen shot of graphics showing Maybank2U accounts with RM100 flowing in each day.

In every picture posted on Facebook, a lot of Malaysian users will be tagged with the hope that they will become the next victims.

After doing a little bit of research and investigation, I found out that the victims will have to register with a website. Users will have to create a login profile before they could view all the info regarding the scheme and should they agree with it, they will have to pay RM100 as the registration fee.

With such a low registration fee, users are said to be able to get all the 'digital training materials' from the website and at the same time, make money out of it.

What is weird about is that the website doesn't focus on the digital products at all but they stress mainly on the ways of making money by using the website by showing graphs and diagrams on how the scheme works.

Based on the information that I got from the website, this scheme is actually none other than the famous type of pyramid scheme where the website/company is not really selling anything at all but merely making money straight from downliners" registration fees.

Since such schemes similar to this one like the ancient Pakman Telo scheme, the Postal Money Order scheme or the internationally famous Bernard Madoff scheme (Ponzi scheme) were all declared illegal by a lot of governments, I highly suspect that this scheme is also illegal as there are absolutely no physical products being sold on the website.

I hope to bring the authority's attention to this scheme as it is luring a lot more victims every single day

Class divisions in access to healthcare

Rights of all Malaysians

But what is the situation in Malaysia, as we have evolved as a modern state enculturalised by happenings in other advanced countries such as the US?

How do we care for the sick? Essentially is there also a class system in our healthcare system? Do the poor get the same treatment as the wealthy members of parliament or those in the list of billionaires?

With the proliferation of private hospitals, are we creating the foundations of a class system that will inherit the problems the Americans are trying to resolve?

Or is this merely a natural progression of an economic system that is also predatory in culture – that the rich will be richer and the poor growing in numbers?

With the urge for Malaysian private hospitals to venture into 'medical tourism', will our good doctors abandon their Hippocratic Oath in favour of professional hypocrisy?

Marx would say that we are defined by the economic condition we are in – we are homo economicus. I suppose how we live and how we die and how we are taken care of in-between this period of 'borrowed time', depends on how the state defines what human rights mean vis-a-viz our ability to pay for healthcare and how we lived our lives as a economic beings.

We must consider that each human being is a cog in the wheel of Capital. Those who own the machines of production oftentimes influence policies through political-economic arrangements.

A wealthy country such as Malaysia that prides itself on tall buildings and a growing number of billionaires ought to start reflecting on the need to ensure that each citizen will have affordable healthcare.

One wonders what the limit of wealth creation is and where the moral dimension is in capitalism, when the rich control the lives of the poor.

By shaping ideology and creating installations to change the social relations of production – and by doing this through the control of mind, media, machinery, and materials – we expect that wealth is to be shared. Socialism for the rich must be replaced with capitalism for the poor.

'Why can't all Americans have the same access to healthcare to those enjoyed by members of Congress?' is a popular question on the ObamaCare debate.

At the time of writing I am following the debate over universal healthcare for all Americans. If the US$1 trillion Bill passes, it will help insure 32 million Americans that do not have access to healthcare.

This is another controversial issue in the tradition of Democrats and Republicans. This is a good case study of one of the enduring issues of an advanced capitalist state.

I know friends who do not have health insurance and who question the human rights dimension of it – right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, endowed by the Creator who insist that 'all men are created equal' and cautioned by the Enlightenment thinker Jean Jacques Rousseau that "… everything is good in the hands of the Author of Things and everything degenerates in the hands of Man".

From the point of view of the Democrats, the health insurance system is broken and in deep crisis. Millions cannot get proper medical health. The insurance system is predatory. Expanding health coverage and lowering prescription drug prices, and giving rebates to insurance companies are the main features of this proposal.

From the Republicans' point of view, Americans need health reform but not to the point of bankrupting the country. A Bill which covers the cost of abortion is the controversial part of it; that Americans must not pay for those who do not have the respect for life. The Bill is said to be a wrong approach that will make winners and losers in the system. Essentially it will open up other complications in virtually all aspects of the system.

Whatever the outcome of it, Americans will still be divided ideologically on this issue. The argument is emblematic of the American political philosophy: what is the role of the government vis-a-viz the social contract between the 'ruler and the ruled'?

It is a classic Jeffersonian-Franklinian debate. America has evolved into a country envisioned by Benjamin Franklin – America which is more of the big business and less on the man on the street.

Americans are taught to not trust governments; its history is that of a revolt against British colonialism famed by the slogan 'taxation without representation' and therefore 'give me liberty … or give me death', as the revolutionary leader Patrick Henry said.

Americans went to war and bankrupted the nation. It was a Republican war. That drained trillions of dollars, perhaps contribution to the near-collapse of the American Empire, as many a Complexity theorist would propose. The Butterfly that flapped its wings in Baghdad, near Saddam Hussein's mansion has contributed to the turmoil in the Obama Office.

It's 11pm here in New York. The historic Bill has just been passed, 219 to 212 in the House. God bless the life of 32 million more Americans. Let Malaysia learn from this victory!.

Malaysiakini, DR AZLY RAHMAN, who was born in Singapore and grew up in Johor Bahru, holds a Columbia University (New York) doctoral degree in International Education Development and Masters degrees in the fields of Education, International Affairs, Peace Studies, and Communication. He has taught more than 40 courses in six different departments and have written more than 300 analyses on Malaysia. His teaching experience spans both in Malaysia and in the United States and in a wide range of teaching context; from elementary to graduate education. He currently resides in the United States.

A solemn vow has animated the people of the State of Israel and their admirers for over sixty years: "Never again." Those two words have captured a shared, steely determination to prevent another Holocaust - the genocide waged against the Jews by Nazi Germany. Today, alas, there is growing reason to fear that the operative phrase is becoming instead: "One more time."

Barack Obama has had a longstanding enmity towards Israel. Under the influence of his one-time fellow University of Chicago professor Rashid Khalidi, the future president honed a sympathy for the Palestinian cause assiduously promoted by his colleague. Indeed, as far back as 2004, Mr. Obama was letting it be known that he had to subordinate public expression of his anti-Israel sentiments in order to advance politically. In a report published in March 2008, a similarly minded pro-Arab activist in Chicago, Ali Abunimah, quoted the then-Senate candidate as saying four years before, "Hey, I'm sorry I haven't said more about Palestine right now, but we are in a tough primary race. I'm hoping when things calm down I can be more up front."

Since entering the White House, Mr. Obama has been more "up front" - at least in his actions. He has pressed Israel relentlessly for territorial, political and strategic concessions to the Palestinians. He has reportedly denied Israel access to weapons, including bunker-busting bombs, even as sales of advanced arms to others in the Middle East - all of whom have tried to destroy Israel in the past - continue apace. The effect is to diminish the qualitative edge so vital to the survival of the outnumbered Jews and their state.

Then there is this: Washington Post columnist Jackson Diehl disclosed on March 22 an open secret here: "Behind Obama's deliberate fight with Netanyahu last week [over Israel's Jerusalem housing decision] seemed to lie a calculation that a peace settlement will require the United States to bend or break Israel's current government." Will Israel's enemies interpret such contempt for the democratically leader of an ally as anything other than evidence it is open season on Israel? Read the whole thing here. Hat tip: Eye On The World